Math
by Plantty
Summary: Love is far less than a simple equation. Makorra.


**Triangle**

-x-

Mako frowned at the two females in front of him. On the left, a beautiful, rich girl stood with her hands on her hips. She wore some makeup, it wasn't excessive, and her long, wavy black hair fell down to her waist. On the right, a dark-skinned, blue-eyed Avatar stood mockingly. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, and her hair was in a high ponytail with two smaller tufts of hair on the side, as usual.

"So?" Asami asked, anxious.

"What's your decision?" Korra questioned, annoyed.

"You guys..." Mako tried, but it didn't work

"You like one of us," Asami started,

"And we want to know which one," Korra finished.

"Please?" Mako asked once more.

"We already told each other we wouldn't be mad at the other, right Korra? We'll still be friends with each other and you, no matter who you choose." Korra nodded.

"It's true," she confirmed. Both girls took a menacing step forward. Mako squeaked and stepped back.

"Spill it," Asami demanded.

"You guys!" Mako pleaded. "I don't know! I'm just... Really confused! Please?"

"'Confused' isn't going to cut it," Asami said. Korra looked worried.

"Why don't we let Mako sleep on it?" she suggested. Mako sighed in relief.

"Well, he DOES look pretty tired..." Asami said, unsure. Mako gave her the puppy-dog eyes. Finally, she gave in.

"Fine," she said, sighing. "We'll talk to you in the morning. Mind if I come watch your practice?"

"Of course not," Korra replied cheerily.

"Guess it's okay," Mako grumbled.

"See you tomorrow morning then!" Asami called, waving and walking towards her home. Korra sighed.

"Guess I should be going now, too," she whispered. She turned on her heel in the direction of the harbor.

"See you tomorrow," she called. Hastily, she ran off, leaving Mako alone. He sighed.

'What is WITH those girls?'

-x-

Mako lay in his bed at night. He tried to think, to plan out what he would tell his two female companions in the morning. He was at a loss for what to do.

Triangles- the three-edged shape filled his mind. That's all this was: a simple triangle, a shape that could be broken down, that could be analyzed.

But if you add in Bolin, there is a square.

Squares are the same on every side. No matter which side you stand on, you are on equal ground with the person beside you.

If you draw a few lines, there you have circle. There is an equal distance from the center to the outside edge no matter where you draw the line. Circles are round. The roll on the ground, they are weak and break easily.

Triangles- they are pointy, harsh, and unforgiving. They are hard to break- only three sides make it up.

Is this love? Is it shaped like a triangle? Does it ever soften its edge and forgive? Why was he even thinking about this?

Mako dreamed of shapes.

Triangles- to find the area, multiply the height by the width, and divide by two. Why couldn't he multiply his love? Maybe he already had. Maybe he had multiplied too great a number, and had gotten excess love, only to give to the girls and confuse everyone.

There was Asami, there was him, and there was Korra.

Three sides of an equilateral triangle- the same in every way. They shouldn't be fighting, this should feel as all fangirl dealings always did, what was going wrong...

Mako sat up with a start in his bed. His face and chest were sweaty. A nightmare? All he could remember was shapes. Shapes- those things he learned about back when he went to school. He was lucky he could even read with his level of education.

Love was challenging.

Triangle, square, rhombus.

The sun shone thought the thin curtains. Mako sighed, the morning had come and he still didn't have a plan.

Throwing on a training shirt and some shorts, Mako walked into the kitchen.

Pentagon, rectangle, circle.

Shapes bombarded him as he walked over to the refrigerator, looking for leftovers. Sighing, Mako pulled out a carton of almond chicken and sat down at the table.

Headlines screamed at him-

_Avatar takes Leave of Absence!_

_Future Industries sponsors Fire Ferrets in the Pro-Bending Championship!_

_Forest fire destroys families!_

It was all old news. The newspaper must be three, four weeks old, and Mako had read it cover to cover. He sighed, eating his last peice of chicken and closing the newspaper.

He threw the dishes in the sink. The clang was loud and painful for the early morning.

Now you may think, _'don't Firebenders rise with the sun?' _Please. Mako only ever truly wakes up after a frigid shower.

His brother walks through the door, tired as a platypus-bear. The Earthbender notices his brother's depressed expression.

"What's wrong, bro?"

"Triangles."

"Is this about Asami and Korra?"

"It's about TRIANGLES!" Mako shouts. A knock rings out at the door, but neither brother takes a step. Mako is seething.

"Those bitches, they expect me to know. They expect me to look at my own emotions and figure it out in a day. A FRIGGIN DAY! I can't figure it out in a MONTH!"

The knock grew louder.

"I HATE MY LIFE!" Mako screamed. "I HATE MY LIFE AND EVERYONE IN IT! ASAMI, KORRA, EVERYONE!"

Bolin took a step back. He remained silent. His poker face was perfect; it showed not even an _iota _of the terror he felt inside.

"What should I do?" Mako whispered, tears coming down his cheeks. He suddenly grasped Bolin and embraced him as he used to, back when they were just two little orphan brothers on the street, trying to survive. Nothing had ever hurt as badly as this, not even almost starving to death.

"I don't know what to do," the elder brother whispered again. Silence followed. Thirty seconds slowly ticked by, and nothing happened. Someone knocked once more, and the door came rocketing inwards, Asami flying through. To the brothers' surprise, Asami glared at... Tahno? The dark-haired, fair-skinned male glared at Asami, who had previously jumped on his head.

"I told you knocking wouldn't work," she said, pointedly.

"Why are you two here? It's not time for practice yet," Mako pointed out. Tahno deadpanned for a second, before replying.

"We came to tell you about the girl. You know who I'm talking about. The... What's she called? The Oh-vah-tar?"

Mako inhaled sharply before Asami finished Tahno's thought.

"She disappeared last night, just after we left you. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"No," Mako replied. "She just said goodbye and left. Actually..." his voice trailed off as he remembered the previous night's happenings.

_'I guess I should be going now, too,' _she had whispered, something she did not normally do. Did she really head to the dock? Did she actually end up safe on the island?

"I have an idea," Mako said. "Let's go to Air Temple Island."

-x-

The quartet dashed off the boat as soon as it docked on Air Temple Island.

"Their house is this way," Bolin stated monotonously. As they dashed off, they heard a shout from above. Stopping, all four glanced up to the sky.

Three children fell weightlessly down, gliders in hand.

"Are you friends of Korra's?" the oldest asked. The four friends nodded.

"She's missing," the small boy pointed out.

"We were seeing if your family had any clues," Tahno stated. The middle child groaned.

"She must have really taken your advice, Jinora! I _TOLD YOU_that you shouldn't have mentioned the book!" the four older friends watched in horror.

"And this advice was...?" Bolin asked.

"I read a historical saga, and the main character fell in love with the enemy general's son, who was supposed to marry the princess." Jinora started. Mako winced, he had an idea of where this was going, and he didn't like it, especially because it involved the Firebender himself.

"And what did she do?" Mako asked, quietly.

"She rode a dragon into the other kingdom and burned it down, then jumped into a volcano!" Ikki exclaimed. All the teens sweatdropped, a sign of embarrassment.

"It was soooo romantic," Jinora sighed. Meelo had taken to chewing on Tahno's head. He made no movement to stop him.

"When was that?" Asami asked.

"Right before the last pro-bending match you guys had!" Meelo exclaimed, jumping down from Tahno's head.

Asami, Tahno, and Bolin all glanced pointedly at Mako.

"Something happened between you two that night. What did she do?" Asami asked, still staring at the Firebender. Mako couldn't bring himself to say it, Bolin just looked away.

"She... Kinda kissed me..." Mako finally said. Asami went green.

"She... WHAT?"

"Kissed me," Mako restated.

"What did you do?" Jinora asked. Mako stood still, not saying anything. Bolin, who had seen the entire thing, looked away. Asami understood, she stayed silent. Tahno realized what happened and cleared his throat.

"He kissed her back," he realized aloud.

"And I saw it all," Bolin whispered sadly.

"Yeah... Sorry bro," Mako apologized.

Asami knew his apology was meant for her, too, and smiled.

"Musta been quite the sight!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"SHUT UP!" Mako yelled, blushing slightly. The young girls giggled.

"Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, have you found anything?" a gruff voice asked. Suddenly, Korra's tall, bearded Airbending master, Tenzin, came around the corner briskly.

"Oh, hello children," he greeted upon seeing the teens. "Is it possible you have seen Korra?"

"We were just coming to ask you and your wife the same thing," Bolin answered sadly. "Our friends here," he gestured at Asami and Tahno, "burst into Mako's and my house this morning."

"So now I'm a friend to Pro-Bending's saddest excuse for a team, eh..." Tahno whispered. Mako growled, but immediately calmed when he saw Tenzin eyeing him.

"I have to go find her," Tenzin started.

"Please, sir," Asami asked, "let us handle this." Tenzin considered.

"I'm sure you're perfectly capable, but Korra IS my responsibility. I wouldn't want any of you hurt because I didn't come."

"We'll be fine," Tahno promised. "We're three pro-benders and... A strategist. What are the odds?" Asami winced at her new title. _'Strategist?' No._

"No hard feelings?" Bolin asked, and Tenzin nodded.

"Thank you all," he said, sounding notoriously like his father. The teens walked away.

As the ferry sped away from the island and back to Republic City, Tenzin could only begin to imagine the situation that would break out. All he knew was that he needed to meditate. _Now_.

-x-

"C'mon, stupid boat! Go faster!" Mako whispered, grasping the iron handrail.

"Mako," Asami's smooth voice said, just a twinkle in the late morning sky, "we'll get Korra back."

"Asami," Mako said, "I'm sorry."

"I understand!" she exclaimed. "You don't have to be sorry! It's your heart, I should just move on with my life."

"That's not what I meant," Mako cut her off. "I'm sorry for not explaining myself well at all. It's just... I like you, but I like Korra too, but I can't like her, she's my teammate, it all goes around in endless circles!" he exclaimed, a tear forming in his eye. "I just don't know. I'm confused, Asami. I don't know where my life is anymore."

"Mako..." Assmi whispered, "Thank you." she tiptoed away quietly, leaving Mako to cry on his own.

-x-

As the ferry approached the shore, it let out a hollow-sounding howl. Mako straightened suddenly and his back went rigid. He couldn't cry, not now. They were so close, and yet so far away.

Asami, Bolin, and Tahno walked a step ahead of Mako in their way to the fabulous bending brothers' apartment. They were going to have a strategy meeting there and maybe eat a snack. After spending a solid hour on the ferry rides alone, they were going to need some fuel for the upcoming day.

"What's the plan?" Tahno asked. "Not that I would expect you to have one under NORMAL circumstances, but you three DO know Korra much better than I do."

"I... Don't know," Mako whispered. "It's not like Korra to run and hide like this." all four friends (of a sort) pondered this.

"She doesn't like to run away..." Tahno whispered. "But... What of she HAD to?" suddenly, he gasped. "What if she's in the Spirit World?"

"If she was in the spirit world, that would explain why she isn't here..." Bolin said, "But I've read about Avatar Aang and Katara's accounts of when he went into the spirit would along the course of their journey. Her body would still be here." everyone sighed.

Silence persisted in entering the room. Nobody talked. The only sound you could hear was the sound of breathing. Asami stared at Bolin, who stared at Tahno, who stared at Mako, who had decided to stare out the tall windows to Air Tenple Island.

"Well," he said, getting up and breaking the silence, "Sitting here won't do us any good. Let's just go search the streets." Asami followed Mako's lead.

"I agree, let's go take action and find our friend!"

The quartet slowly walked out the door, a new spring in their step at the prospect of finding their friend, scarves blowing in the wind.

-x-

Triangles, they were everywhere. In the signs for stores and houses, in the flowers and trees, dead in the middle of the winter, and in the clouds that stood guard to the sky, threatening to ruin their mission.

Bolin whistled a sad-sounding tune and Tahno sung the words.

_"I never wanted you to disappear..."_

He was cut off by a piercing, high-pitched scream. And it wasn't one of delight. Nobody but Mako realized what it was at first. But when they saw him tense, their suspicions were confirmed.

The scream was Korra's.

-x-

Korra had been so sure of herself just hours ago. Now, she didn't even feel comfortable in her own skin.

The Lieutenant stood above her, his half-mask covering his eyes. The green goggles seemed to stare into her soul.

"There is no escape," he said, "so don't even try to leave."

"Wasn't planning to," Korra grumbled. "Not like I thought I would be able to, anyways." the chi-blocker smirked.

"You learn fast," he growled. "But not fast enough." Korra understood what he meant, truly she did. Suddenly, the whole rebellion made sense...

"I understand," she whispered. "I know why you're doing this. Your claims, your beliefs- they're all true."

The Lieutenant raised his eyebrows so much that you could see the muscles tense under the mask.

"What?" he asked, unsure.

"I said, that you make a very true and right point. I understand now. We really are abusing non-benders. If I may, I..." she was cut off by a fireball to the face. Suddenly, she remembered the chains on her hands. She was powerless. Surprised and terrified, she let out a meanacing, bone-chilling scream.

-x-

Mako quickly analyzed what could be happening as he sprinted towards the source of the noise. There were three options:

-She had suddenly been bombarded with images of her previous lives,

-Amon and the Equalists, or

- Tahno had asked her out.

By process of elimination, (very fast in his head, at that) Mako determined that Korra was, indeed, dealing with the Equalists in one way or another, because let's face it. Tahno isn't excactly the loving type. Also, he was standing right next to him, but did Mako remember that under the circumstances? No.

The quartet of friends (and people they weren't _really_ sure about) turned a corner, but saw a sight that would haunt them forever.

There stood Korra and Amon's Lieutenant... The latter was Firebending; the former defending herself shabbily, her hands in chains. Her arms were making no movement, her legs were flying in circles in the air.

The fire had undeniably come from Lieutenant.

Korra had deflected fireball after fireball to no avail. She didn't even notice Mako, Bolin, Asami and Tahno.

The Lieutenant drew his fingers in circles and created lightning.

Korra was so tired she didn't even notice the glowing, fatal blue light coming from his fingertips. He aimed carefully, right at her heart.

It was in that moment that Mako finally knew where his love truly lay...

He screamed her name and jumped between Korra and the lightning. He tried to redirect it; he narrowly missed.

The electricity hit him right over the heart.

Mako crumpled to the ground in pain, knowing there was nothing else he could do...

_Just as he heard Korra call his name, his entire world went black._

-x-

Asami, Bolin, and Tahno stood in shock. Even the Lieutenant had stopped Firebending to watch the amazing sight that was happening before him.

As soon as Mako's body hit the ground- either dead, unconsious, or seriously injured- Korra's eyes started to glow bright blue.

It was just a faint glimmer at first- nothing seemed wrong. But nobody doubted that something was amiss when Korra flew into the air, her handcuffs lieing useless and broken down below, on top of a tornado.

Now THAT was weird.

Nobody moved for an instant. Everyone was entranced in Korra's meanacing gaze. Suddenly, her lips started to move.

"Lieutenant, you have destroyed my friend with your own two hands." she spoke not in her own voice, but a deep voice comprised of a hundred, a thousand others. They were the voices of the previous Avatars, they had awoken and Korra was in their command. "Now, you shall pay the ultamite price."

The last thing the Lieutenant ever saw was a flash of blue, bright to the point of blinding.

The last thing he felt; a wave of power surging through his body, destroying _each and every cell inside him_ and ripping them to shreds.

The last thing Amon's Lieutenant ever smelled was defeat.

_Korra: a sixteen-year-old girl with extreme abilities._

_Korra: a lover, a loved one, beloved by the world._

_Korra: the Avatar, the one supposed to bring peace and balance to the world._

But the one thought that kept coursing through this young girl's mind was _Korra: a killer._

She hadn't meant for it to end this way, not with her killing Amon's henchman. She hadn't meant for her spirit to get out of control, out of hand in the face of danger.

She wished she could take it all back.

The slight blue disorientation of the world cleared as her feet lightly touched the ground. Still, the sight before her wasn't of one dead body- there were two.

A single tear slipped down Korra's cheek as she grasped Mako's wrist tightly, searching for any sign of a pulse. There was nothing, only the chill of a corpse and the smell of musk and smoke that he always seemed to carry around him.

Her life, her love- all gone.

"Mako," she whispered into his silent chest, "I love you."

She was completely unaware of the other spectators of this act. Bolin, the one most in tears because of his brother, stood silent. Tahno, wanting to rush in and just heal Mako, remained perfectly still. Asami let a single tear fall as she watched her lover, dead on the ground.

But it wasn't over yet.

Korra glanced up. She saw Tahno first, and thought_, 'Waterbender_.' she saw Bolin, and thought, _'brother.'_ she saw Asami last, and as she saw the tears streaming her mascara on her oh-so perfect face, she thought, _'broken hearted.'_ Then, Korra got an idea.

"Tahno," she called, softly, beckoning him to join her. Asami and Bolin stepped forward, too, but Korra stopped them. Tahno understood and dashed to the Avatar's side, uncapping a jug of water he had strapped to his side.

Korra stealthily took off her right boot, and produced a flask. Tahno gave her a questioning glance. Korra nodded and bent the glowing water out from the silver-plated capsule. Tahno took just a little of his regular water and bent it in front of him, ready to pass it to Korra when she needed it.

Korra took the special water, held it with one hand, and slowly unbuttoned the firebender's jacket. He wore a training shirt underneath, and his chest... Oh, his chest. But she couldn't think of that now. A huge scar, about three inches across, was right over his heart.

Slowly, she bent the magic water over the scar. He already glowing water flashed, and Mako's eyes twitched.

The water- evaporated now, it had done its task- had saved Mako's life.

Suddenly, Korra could feel his pulse, hear him taking shallow breaths. It was in that instant that she knew-

She loved Mako, and she would do whatever it took to protect him.

Turning around, she bent the water from Tahno's hands and started healing Mako's chest. With each rhythmic pulse of Korra's healing, a shaky breath was taken in by Mako. She was so happy, it was all she could do to take her eyes off Mako's sleeping face to glance at her observers.

Bolin was in tears. He had just witnessed his best friend save his brother's life- that's not something you see every day. He nodded happily at Korra when she looked at him, and a genuine smile spread across his face.

Asami, the one who had loved Mako, realized that she didn't belong with him. It wasn't right. Mako loved Korra and she loved him. That was the only way it could work out.

Korra watched Asami, glancing at her pointedly. She just nodded her head and whispered,

"Yours."

Korra let a single tear fall from her face as she returned her gaze to Mako's rising and falling chest.

He was safe.

-x-

Mako woke up in a strange bed, in a strange room. A bucket of water stood beside him, a towel soaking inside. He could see that he was badly injured by a glance at his chest.

_What happened?_

There was a window to his right. He slowly sat up and walked over to it. There he saw the Pro-Bending arena, his real home, across the bay. _He must be on Air Temple Island!_

His suspicions were confirmed when he saw below him a crazy contraption.

There were spinning gates, all with spirals on them, on a raised platform. There were gusts of wind, continuously pushing the boards forward.

In the middle, there was a speck of brown, a flash of blue, and a blob of yellow and orange.

It was Korra, all dressed up in her Airbending robes, doing her daily practice she always blabbered about. She made it feel difficult in her rants, so why did it look so effortless and easy now?

Just thinking of her made Mako's heart skip a beat. What had she done to him, why did he feel this way? His scar burned. How did he get that? Where was Asami when he needed her?

Mako looked himself over. Brown pants, training shirt. Another, cleaner training tank top lay on a chair. Bolin must have brought it over.

Slipping his bloody, filthy shirt off, he gently swabbed down his chest with the damp towel. He found he was pretty thirsty, so he drank a little of that water, too. It tasted strange, like it had something mixed into it.

He dried himself off and slipped the clean shirt on. Then, on tiptoes, he slipped out of the room and made his way downstairs to the gates.

He had been here once before, he remembered it well. Korra had been talking about something with two of the Airbending children and suddenly Korra had earthbent them high into the air. They cushioned their fall easily, giggling as they went.

Mako walked up the familliar stairs and approached the Avatar once more. But instead of going all the way to the gates, he stopped halfway. He couldn't believe what he saw.

It was Korra, waving and spinning her way through the gates. It looked impossible; apparently it wasn't. When Korra got to the other side, she wiped her forehead and glanced at the sky. Suddenly, she was brought out of her daydreams by two little children, the same two she had gotten mad at last time. Mako chuckled and stayed where he was. He knew the children had seen him. The younger one pointed in his direction, and Korra's eyes slowly followed her arm, right to where he stood. Their eyes met and Korra flushed, tears coming to her eyes. Even so, she only stood in her spot a moment before she took off in his direction.

"Mako!" she screamed, crying. She looked... Older? How could that be?

"Mako..." she whispered in his ear, hugging him lightly, "You're finally back."

"Woah, back up. What do you mean, finally? Why do you look older? Why are you dressed in Airbender robes? Why are you talking like you haven't seen me in years? And why do I have this scar?" Korra's face instantly darkened and her smile faded.

"You really don't remember, do you?" she whispered, softly.

"Don't remember what?" Mako asked, annoyed.

"You saved my life, Mako. And it cost you your own."

"What?" Mako exclaimed. "So that means... We're all DEAD?"

"No! No! Let me explain. Do you remember how I disappeared?"

"Yeah..."

"Amon's Lieutenant captured me. He was a Firebender. He tried to kill me; I didn't see it coming. You jumped in front of the lightning, but couldn't redirect it. Mako, you DIED! I was so angry, and I took it out on him. I was angry at you, at Asami, at Bolin, at the Liutenant. I was angry at the world, Mako, and it brought me into the Avatar State. I killed Amon's henchman." Korra took a deep breath. "I had spiritual water from the South Pole. Tahno and I, we healed you, we brought you back to life. Tahno isn't really a bad guy, you know that?" she smiled weakly. "Anyways, you were alive, but unconcious. Nothing we tried would get you to wake up. You were in a coma, Mako, not in this world or any other, for..." she took a deep breath. "You were out for two years."

"TWO YEARS?" Mako screamed. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"

"She's not," the older of the two kids said. _Damn,_ thought Mako, _I can see it now. The years are etched into all of their faces._

"They almost took you away from me, Chief Beifong wanted you put to rest, like a sick dog. I wouldn't let her. Bolin... Bolin was by your side as much as he could be, but in the end he had to get work. He lives in an apartment in the city now, he's part of the Police core. In fact, he was the one who convinced Beifong to spare your life."

"You're kidding... Right?" Mako whispered. "Two years..."

Silence. There was nothing anyone could do.

"My scar... If it's been two years, why was it bloody?" he asked.

"It wasn't," the younger of the children replied. "That was pomegranate-lychee juice that Meelo spilled on you. Don't ask why he had it in your room, because I don't know."

"Thanks," Mako replied. He turned back to Korra. "How's life treating you?" what he really wanted to say was "who do you love now," but he couldn't bring himself to it. Korra only smiled.

"I defeated Amon," she replied. "the Equalists had some good points, though. We have integrated them into our laws. I mastered Airbending. Boring stuff like that."

"Why am I here?"

"I asked Pema if I could keep you here until you woke up, and she agreed. Plus, Katara was here, healing you. She couldn't ferry to the city every day, and wanted to stay with her son. So, this came about."

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard.

"Sorry, that's Hope," Korra explained. "I'll be right back. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," he agreed. "Hope is Pema's child?"

"Yup! She's so sweet! You have to meet her. Come on!"

-x-

Korra dragged him into a bright room filled with yellows and oranges. There was a splash of blue in between the stripes of color, undeniably from Korra.

"Kowa?" a small voice peeped from a crib in the corner.

"Hi, Hope! I have someone I want you to meet!" Korra exclaimed. The crying stopped instantly.

"Fwein?"

"Yes, Hope. Mako is my friend. Do you remember? He was asleep for two years. Here he is," Korra cooed, and picked the baby up.

Tufts of brown hair covered her tiny head, and her feet wiggled. Mako had need seen anything as beautiful. It made him think of the one holding her gently in her arms, and how much he would like it if this child was their own.

Later that night, Mako pondered whether or not to ask Korra about her feelings for him. He was desperate; he needed her in his life.

When Korra suggested a walk on the beach, just the two of them, Mako almost jumped. They did have a lot of 'catching up' to do.

"Sure," he replied evenly, "let's go."

The full moon cast its shadow over the bay. Mako decided to make his move.

"Korra..." he started, and Korra stopped walking.

"What is it, Mako?"

"I was wondering... What happened to you while I was out. Did you find a man? Is he nice?"

"I found a man." she replied solemly. Mako almost choked.

"Oh? What's his name?"

"Guess."

"It's Bolin, isn't it?" Korra was silent for a minute, and gave him a glare that clearly read, _**'REALLY?'**_

"You're really infuriating, you know that?" she snapped. Mako drew back.

"Excuse me?"

Korra couldn't say anything. They stood in silence for a minute before Korra approached Mako, first at a walk, then a mad sprint.

She reached up, grabbed his neck, and bashed her lips against hers.

Mako was shocked. _Me? It can't be, she can't love me..._

But when she pulled away, sadly, he knew it was true.

"It's me... Isn't it."

"Yes, Mako... Always you. But I know now that you still love Asami... I should warn you, she's going out with Bolin now. I have to go."

She tried to escape, but Mako is stronger. He pulls her back and whispers her name, his lips brushing against hers.

Suddenly, they both know.

There really is no other way.

Love is like a triangle; sharp and triple-edged. But if you take the time to soften its edges...

Neither one will ever forget.

-x-

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**EPILOGUE**

There was never a moment in time where Mako felt so sure, so confident that this was the right decision, as now. He grasped the necklace in his right hand, and the ring in his left.

Both his hands were bandaged and bruised, but there was satisfaction in the pain. He knew for sure that he could shape his own destiny.

Korra was waiting for him when he walked off the pier onto Air Temple Island. This island had literally become his home, and he had become so familiar with it he could walk around with his eyes closed and not bump into anything.

He walked, hands in pockets, to the beach with Korra. She was confused at first; she thought he wanted to go spar or something of that nature, like he always did. She had no idea of the bandaged hands, the bruised knuckles, the sore bones. And yet, as soon as they got to the beach and sat down, she was certain something was amiss. He hadn't taken his hands out of his pockets at all since he walked off the ferry.

"Mako?" she asked, shyly.

"Yes?"

"Is there something wrong with your hands?" Mako flinched. _She had noticed it!_

"N-no..." he said, shakily. He wasn't ready quite yet. Make her bring it out of me, he thought, smirking.

"Then why are they in your pockets?" Mako continued turning the smooth pendant over and over in his hand in the pocket.

"My hands are quite comfortable in my pockets. They are very soft, you know?" he made the excuse, chuckling

"Oh." Korra was totally serious. _Did she really fall for it?_ "Just kidding, I know that's not _really_ why… right?"

Silence. She thought of a scheme, he thought of what to say.

He was completely surprised when she jumped on top of him, pinned him to the ground, and kissed him. But there was nothing he could do but bring his bandaged hands out of his pockets and wrap them around her back.

Korra tensed when she felt a roughness on her back. Not a regular roughness Mako's hands always had, but the feel of paper and cuts. She pulled away, and got off of him. They both sat up.

"Your hands..." she whispered, sadly. "What happened?"

"... Nothing."

"No, Mako! This is NOT nothing! Your hands are BRUISED, CUT AND BANDAGED and I NEED TO KNOW WHY!" she was screaming now, tears falling from her eyes. "Why won't you tell me?" she whispered.

"Because I don't know what to say."

"What?" Korra's interest piqued.

"Well Korra... You know that I love you, now and forever."

She nodded slowly.

"Mako, where are you going with this?"

"You also know that I would like nothing better than to spend the rest of my life with you." Korra drew a sharp breath at this.

"Me too," she breathed.

"I know I'm not worthy of a girl like you. I mean, look at me. I have to live here because I have nowhere else to stay and barely any money to my name. I'm just a street rat. And look at you. You're the Avatar, the most well-known person alive. Everyone in the United Republic knows your name. You defeated Amon, you saved the city, you're the sole person who can bend all four elements. But I feel like I should still try." Mako inhaled slowly, then sighed. "Avatar Korra..." he drew out two things from his pockets. In his right hand, a traditional Water Tribe betrothal necklace, decorated with a snowflake and a flame. So that was why his hands were bandaged! In his left hand lay the most beautiful ring Korra had ever seen. It was silver, with an opal inset. The precious stone glittered in the fading sunlight, shimmering red, blue, green, and yellow.

"Mako?"

"Listen, I know you do the whole necklace thing Water Tribes, so I did that. But the ring is how we do it here, in the United Republic. It's called an engagement ring, you get another ring when you get married." Korra once more drew a shaky, deep breath.

"Mako..." she whispered, then smiled and lifted her hair. "Would you strap it on?"

Mako grinned like nobody's business as he put the necklace on Korra's neck and the ring on her finger.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, playing with her hair.

"Is this a dream?" she asked.

"I think... This is real," Mako muttered. "And right now, I am the happiest man in the world."

-x-

Love is a triangle; sharp, three-edged, and strong…

But Korra and Mako softened the edges, and once you do that, love becomes the most wonderful thing in the world.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**if you liked the story, tell me in a review, even if it only says 'liked the story!' all reviews are always appreciated.**

**I may write another pairing if this was enjoyed! :D**

This story is dedicated to Tundra. It's not like I love you, but I think you are like a triangle who needs to soften your edges. Just a personal opinion.

This story is ACTUALLY dedicated to all my friends, some of which include:

**-Globindobin**

**-Teto/Gus/Shlobinflobin (?)**

**-Shortie**

**- The Gabster**

**-The Noponator**

**-Anna the Other Soprano**

**-The Violet Viper/Vertigo, **_**and**_

**-Gill the Alto who plays AltoSax ;)**

Now that I'm done with my rant, I will say that this story was fun to write. It gave me a distraction :)

Now, if only this happened to Teto and LF... KIDDING! IM KIDDING! Go check Teto's page out, though: Her penname is tetokasane0401.

Lastly, I don't own LoK or any of its characters.

Finally, I just saw episode 6. No spoilers, but I will say I had no idea that was going to happen to the Wolfbats! I seriously thought the losing team was going to win.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


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